By Amaechi Agbo
The Basketball courts at the Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, venue of the ongoing inaugural Amateur Basketball Academies, tagged “ 2026 Abuja ABA league “ have become a beehive of activities as over 500 Players are slugging out daily on who becomes the winner of the most priced grassroots Sports trophy in a competition that aimed at providing a new pathway for grassroots basketball development in Nigeria.
Twenty Academy clubs, which include 20 boys’ team and 20 girls’ team, are displaying their skills daily, energy, determination and competitive spirit as coaches, scouts, officials and basketball enthusiasts are gathered to witness the ambitious grassroots league.
Among basketball stakeholders who are fascinated about the ongoing events are Sam Oguche, former Nigerian international basketball player and prominent grassroots basketball promoter as well as the owner and founder of the Air Warriors Basketball Club, Abdulmajid Solademi.
Both who applauded the maiden Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) League said the initiative is a major step towards reviving grassroots basketball development in Nigeria.
Speaking on the sidelines of the competition, Solademi said the league has giving him renewed hope for the future of Nigerian basketball, particularly because of its focus on discovering and nurturing young talents. He said the initiative was commendable as it shifted attention from established stars to young players who needed opportunities to develop their careers.
“I think this is absolutely incredible. When I saw it, I began to feel that we have a future in basketball because of what they are doing.’’
According to him, Nigeria’s huge population should translate into a stronger pool of basketball talents capable of competing successfully at continental and international levels.
For Sam Oguche who has been around since the first day of the championship noted that the country needed more structured competitions at the grassroots like ABA league to provide young players with regular playing opportunities and prepare them for professional basketball.
“This is the opportunity everybody needs to grab. The young players need to take advantage of it because opportunities do not come every day.”
He urged aspiring players to take the competition seriously and make the most of the platform provided for them.
Both basketball promoters commended the ABA for involving grassroots coaches, saying the broad interest generated by the league could help expose both the players and their coaches and attract more stakeholders to basketball.
They urged basketball stakeholders to support initiatives such as the ABA League, describing it as a positive development capable of producing the next generation of Nigerian basketball stars
Impressed with the games so far, the Founder and President of the Amateur Basketball Academies, Aliyu Lucky Abubakar, a Deputy Comptroller in the Nigeria Customs Service, said sustained competition, talent identification and proper development can provide a stronger pipeline of players for professional clubs, domestic leagues and Nigeria’s national teams. He said that with what he has been witnessing since Saturday, he can conveniently say the future of basketball in Nigeria is not tomorrow, the future is being built today.
As the games continue, attention of the players and coaches will now turn to the weekend when the last eight will emerge as the organisers hopeful that the league will become a lasting platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian basketball talents.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
